Nepal strips back royal powers

Nepal's parliament voted unanimously to shrink the powers of the country's monarchy yesterday, bringing an end to palace control over the army and the hereditary principle.

The radical steps will strip the king of his formal title of supreme commander-in-chief of the military, and the administration will no longer be called His Majesty's Government but just Nepal government. The cabinet will appoint the army chief.

Coming just a few weeks after street protests forced King Gyanendra to relinquish absolute power over the Himalayan country, the moves are a remarkable reversal of fortune for the palace.

Under the new laws elected representatives will decide on the heir to the throne and stipulate the privileges and expenses of the king. Nepal will also end its status as the world's only Hindu nation, with parliamentarians voting for a secular state. Older Nepalis revere the king as a living god.

The interim prime minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, told the 205 members of the lower house that the proposed change reflects "the aspirations of the people and respects the sacrifices of the people who were martyred during the [democracy] movement".